Sitting pretty

Adventures in weaning

or rather 'Misadventures'.  Sofia does not like my food.

Whenever I try to entice her with my home cooked offerings (organic if you please) the following scene plays out

All I can say is, thank God for Plum Organic baby food. Especially the only savoury dish Sofia will accept: Lamb and minted potatoes with redcurrant jus (posh, no?!)

The next generation

When I had Benjamin and Jasmine, I was the first in my family - extended or otherwise - of my generation to have kids.  As such, they didn't have cousins to play with for a long time.  Sofia has been born into our family's baby boom.  Just as we are about to leave :-(  Here are some more photos from the birthday party of  all the baby love

with cousin Skyla

with Harvey (my mum's cousin's son's baby - whew! I did say extended family!)

 "what you got there...?"

"Fine, I didn't want it anyway...."

"stay there......!"

"....I wanna hug"

"let's play"

"nah, I'd rather bite your head!)

Happy 1st Birthday Theo......

and welcome to the world Josiah Joseph Witter (born Friday 3rd June, 3 weeks early, weighing in at a healthy 6lbs 13oz)!!!

In true George/mulraine family style the crowd was big, the food was plenteous and the throats were sore from shouting above the racket of the extended family and all their children and babies.  I'm gonna miss this!

CAKE!

The birthday boy and his mamma

Baby brother Josiah

with his great grandma 'nanny'

Sofia checks out the new addition

grandma, aka 'nanna debbie'

proud mummy and aunty :-)

All the cousins/grandchildren

clockwise from l-r: Theo, Jerome, Ben,Skyla, Jasmine, Sofia and baby Josiah

The sign says it all really.  Most of our larger possessions that we aren't giving to family and friends have been sold.  My beloved IKEA poang chair, our dining table and chairs, Ben's bed, our printer, Nick's bike (and various other bits...).   We shall be living with very little. And it only just hit me.  Some items are being collected by the winning bidders today.  This afternoon. The rest will be gone sometime during the coming week.  Damn, this is harder than I thought.  I'm going to have to watch strangers come and cart away the stuff we've spent years building up.   Yeah, it's just stuff, but it's my stuff.  The stuff I've built a home with for my family.  We shall now spend the next few months living like vagabonds and the reality is starting to hit home BIG TIME.

I just have to keep focusing on the end goal.  I am excited about the future, I just wish I could fast forward the next few months.........


* edited to add, a couple just came to collect a side table from us and in doing so, enquired about where we are moving to.  When we told them Canada, they were most impressed and said it'd be a great opportunity for the kids - and us "especially the way this country is going!".  As they walked away, the man said "don't look back".  Those words keep coming back to me since he said them.  Amazing how a complete stranger can be a comfort and a reassurance like that......

Gunners

Yup, we are a family of Gunners.  By default rather than choice.  Nick has been a lifelong Arsenal fan and therefore who daddy supports, everyone must support.

Yesterday Nick, Benjamin, Jasmine, Nick's dad and brothers all went to visit the Emirates Stadium in London.  Nick was under strict instruction to take some 'good' photos for me, as neither mummy - nor Pippi - got bought tickets.  Unfair much?

seating capacity 60,355 - making it the 2nd largest football club stadium in England

team locker room

check out all the fingerprints on the glass cage - much fan 'love' LOL

Nick is in Wenger's Seat :-)

holding a press conference

Jasmine bags herself not one, but two premiership footballers!

Anxious,but exciting, times

No smiles, as per UK passport photo regulations 

Sofia was not amused at being laid on a white board on the floor of a busy shop to have her picture taken!

What an emotional roller coaster this last week has been!  One minute we are excited at what the future holds, the next we are (or rather I am) worrying if we are doing the right thing uprooting the kids and moving so far away from family and friends.  Since having Sofia I have finally started to feel settled, and finally have started to consider Witney home.  Yes, that's right.  I said it. HOME.  I have made wonderful, firm friends, I have a job I love and that leaves me feeling fulfilled as well as paying me.  I am active in our local church and LOVE, LOVE, LOVE the beautiful countryside that is on our doorstep, as well as the history that surrounds us - in the ancient ruins, the hundreds of years old houses, the ancient woodlands....  I have already started to miss it all and we haven't even gone anywhere yet!!!  And then I start to feel, dare I say it..... patriotic.  This is coming from the girl who always wanted to live abroad for as long as I could remember.  The girl who never supports England in the World Cup (well, except for this last one anyway).  Now I know I am sooo going to miss things that are quintessentially English.  Pubs with roaring open fires in the winter, baked beans (which I rarely eat, but just know I'll crave once they are no longer available), a good cup of properly brewed tea.

And family.  I am going to desperately miss our families.  I felt that way moving a few hours down the road to Witney.  Lord knows in the depths of a long sub-zero Canadian winter I am going to sorely miss my family.

But despite all this, I do feel that we are doing the right thing.  Me and Nick have never been ones to shy away from a challenge or adventure, and this is most definately a 'now-or-never' kind of adventure...... so
passports applications for the children have been sent off (renewal for Ben and Jasmine, first for Sofia), police certificate applications for me and Nick are on their way, notice has been handed in at our respective jobs and our tenancy has been given up.  Next job, visas!